This past November 24, Emmanuel Macron’s announcements relived many storekeepers and freelance workers: all stores are allowed to reopen starting November 28, 2020 in the morning. And the icing on the cake, this Wednesday November 25, Bruno Le Maire has announced he was for stores to reopen on Sundays until Christmas.
On France Inter, the Minister of the Economy said he was for “the reopening of stores on Sundays until Christmas”. Bruno Le Maire considers this is a major move, an extra push “for storekeepers [so that they can] recover their turnover, opening on Sundays until Christmas”.
This authorization to work on Sunday is yet not something to trifle with. “We of course have to talk about it with the employer’s organizations because working on a Sunday is not insignificant. There shall be compensations” the Minister adds. He also reminds that stores and boutiques can only reopen if they comply with the new health rules.
As for stores, it means an 8sqm/customer limit – against 4sqm before the closure. A rule that seems a bit difficult to set up for store stores, like hair salons that claimed for adapted rules depending on the reality of their job.
Yet, according to the minister, this gauge is the one that matches the situation the best: “I advocate for the simplest. In a bookstore, where there are many stands, what is better? 4sqm removing stands and book stations or 8sqm where the global surface of the store is not taken into account?” he asks. For the record, employees are not included in the gauge of people allowed in the store.
